Boys’ and girls’ Sweet 16 draws: Potential matchups include some early doozies
The bouncing balls of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s live bracket drawings have created some brutal paths for teams who could be considered Sweet 16 favorites in both the boys’ and girls’ state basketball tournaments.
The teams to fill those spots won’t be determined for two weeks as district and region tournaments play out, but we now have some idea who could play who at Rupp Arena.
In the boys’ tournament, perhaps the hardest path lies in front of Central Kentucky’s 11th Region champ and the 7th Region winner out of Louisville who will face each other on the first day of the first round.
That means current Associated Press No. 1 Lexington Catholic or, maybe, No. 7 Frederick Douglass could face Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 Male or current No. 4 Ballard.
The draw also created a potential revenge rematch between No. 6 North Laurel out of the 13th Region and No. 10 Ashland Blazer. The Tomcats humbled the Jaguars on Friday in a showcase event at Lexington Catholic. If those two survive their regions, they would play each other on day two of the Sweet 16.
In the girls’ tournament, the most eye-catching pairing has to be the 5th Region draw against the 6th Region, which means No. 1 Elizabethtown, No. 7 Bethlehem or dangerous Bardstown could face No. 5 Bullitt East or Herald-Leader preseason No. 1 Butler on day two of the first round.
Central Kentucky’s 11th Region, where defending champ Franklin County or maybe Paul Laurence Dunbar or Great Crossing have Sweet 16 hopes, will have to face the 13th Region winner, which could be North Laurel or Bell County, among others.
Being held a few weeks later than normal due to COVID-19, the 103rd KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen takes place March 31-April 3. The 60th Mingua Beef Jerky/KHSAA Girls’ Sweet Sixteen will be held a week later, April 7-10. Both events were canceled last year as the pandemic hit. This year, the semifinals and finals will be played on the same day in both tournaments, because of the Easter holiday, April 4.
Ticket availability for the events will be limited due to COVID-19 attendance restrictions and the KHSAA has said ticket info would be released in the days to come. It has already announced tickets will be sold on a per-game basis this year rather than the traditional session format that allowed fans to see multiple games with one ticket.
Last week, the KHSAA told member schools that state guidelines on attendance limits have been relaxed from 15 to 25 percent. That potentially increases the number of fans who can attend postseason tournaments, including the Sweet 16s, in person if other guidelines — masking and social distancing — are followed.
All Sweet 16 games will be streamed live on KHSAA.tv, to NFHS Network subscribers. The NFHS Network’s monthly subscription cost is $10.99.
State tourney pairings
BOYS’ SWEET SIXTEEN
(In bracket order.)
Wednesday, March 31
11 a.m.: 14th Region vs. 5th Region
8 p.m.: 10th Region vs. 8th Region
5 p.m.: 11th Region vs. 7th Region
2 p.m.: 4th Region vs. 2nd Region
Thursday, April 1
5 p.m.: 12th Region vs. 15th Region
8 p.m.: 13th Region vs. 16th Region
2 p.m.: 6th Region vs. 1st Region
11 a.m.: 3rd Region vs. 9th Region
Friday, April 2
Quarterfinals: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 3
Semifinals: 11 a.m., 2 p.m.
Finals: 8 p.m.
GIRLS’ SWEET SIXTEEN
(In bracket order)
Wednesday, April 7
11 a.m.: 14th Region vs. 7th Region
2 p.m.: 4th Region vs. 10th Region
5 p.m.: 11th Region vs. 13th Region
8 p.m.: 8th Region vs. 12th Region
Thursday, April 8
11 a.m.: 1st Region vs. 15th Region
2 p.m.: 5th Region vs. 6th Region
5 p.m.: 2nd Region vs. 3rd Region
8 p.m.: 9th Region vs. 16th Region
Friday, April 9
Quarterfinals: 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 10
Semifinals: 11 a.m., 2 p.m.
Finals: 8 p.m.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 1:42 PM.
